Officials from the United Kingdom and the United Statescondemned on Monday the Security Cabinet's decision to strengthen Israel's administrative legal control over the West Bank. "A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region," said a US official, who reiterated President Donald Trump's opposition towards Israel annexing the West Bank. In October last year, preliminary approval for the plan was met with resistance from US Vice President JD Vance, who called the move a "deliberate political provocation by the opposition."
"The West Bank is not going to be annexed by Israel," he said. The policy of President Trump is that the West Bank will not be annexed. This will always be our policy," Vance said during a trip to Israel amidst Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks last year. Britain also called on Israel to reverse its decision to expand control over the West Bank. "The UK strongly condemns the Israeli Security Cabinet’s decision yesterday to expand Israeli control over the West Bank," the British government said.
Critics have said Israel's move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank went in the direction of annexing occupied land."Any unilateral attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of Palestine is wholly unacceptable and would be inconsistent with international law. We call on Israel to reverse these decisions immediately," the British government added. (Ed note: JPost knows better, it's not "the West Bank.") (Source)
